Remember to Say Thank You!

I am blessed to be the grandmother to two little grandbabies. They are a joy and a delight, and our move to Melbourne has meant that we can be much more involved in their lives. They are both huge fans of Cocomelon, and we find ourselves singing along to their little tunes as they travel with us in the car to various family outings. 

Our granddaughter particularly loves the catchy little tune, ‘Please and thank you’, and (although I am probably biased) she is very good at remembering to say these important little words when asking for or receiving something. Our grandson is the younger of the two, and his nature is a little more cheeky, or dare I say, stubborn! As hard as we try, he will dig his heels in when we remind him to say ‘ta’. As Nannie, I am quick to give in and hand whatever he is requesting over, but my daughter – their mother – stops me, and insists that he show gratitude for the water, the food, the toy or whatever he decides he needs in the moment. And, of course, I follow her lead!

This term, the Primary School is focusing on being a thankful community and, with the beauty that surrounds us on an incredible campus together with great people, it does not take long for any student or staff member to list of a number of things for which they are thankful.

I am sure it is the same for families – the blessings that surround us are tangible, and we have much to give thanks for! However, in the rush of life, how easy is it for a whole day to go by without saying the words ‘thank you’ to the people to whom you are genuinely thankful?

What a privilege it is for us to be able to remind our students of the importance of these simple, yet powerful, words – thank you!

We have given the Primary School a challenge as we head towards the end of the year….and it is to find as many ways and opportunities as they can to stop and say thank you to the many people who are part of this community – teachers, the maintenance team, learning assistants, parents, friends…the list is endless!

And when I think about transformational learning – this being the very heartbeat of Christian Education – what I really hope is happening is that you will see and hear more ‘thank yous’ at home and in your communities as our primary students really apply their learning in context, and continue to develop an understanding of what it means to be a light for Jesus in the world, school, homes and neighbourhoods in which they live!